


Daddy's Little Girl

by lit_chick08



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-06
Updated: 2011-12-06
Packaged: 2017-10-27 00:13:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/289435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lit_chick08/pseuds/lit_chick08
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is no one Caroline loves more than Bill Forbes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daddy's Little Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: Through 3x02 “The Hybrid”

Caroline could pinpoint the exact moment she knew she had the best dad in the world.

They were still living in Charlottesville while her dad finished law school; Caroline spent her days at kindergarten and then the babysitter's, reigning over the other five-year-olds with a benevolent smile, waving her Barbie like a magic wand. At four o'clock her mother would pick her up, always hurried, always distracted, and Caroline would sit in her booster seat as they drove back to the apartment.

Caroline liked to play on the balcony, sitting at her little plastic table, having tea parties with the imaginary siblings she had named Mary-Kate and Ashley, staring longingly at the backyard their building overlooked which was always full of kids. She always wanted to play with them but her mother kept saying she was too little, that she had to wait until she was older.

On that day, her dad come out onto the balcony, grinning widely as he sank onto one of the plastic chairs beside her. She carefully poured him a cup of tea before offering him one of the plastic cookies her grandfather bought her for her last birthday.

“You okay, Caro?”

Only her daddy called her that, and Caroline smiled despite herself. Her mom always said her name like she was in trouble even when she wasn't; and then her mom would call her “infuriating” or “exhausting” and Caroline would end up sitting on her pretty canopy bed and wondering why her mom was so mean.

“I want to play with them,” she said, pointing to the group of kids who were now congregating for a game of kickball.

“Then go play with them, silly.”

“Mommy said I'm too little.”

His face folding in though, he suggested, “Well...what if I play too? I bet that would be okay with your mom.”

Caroline jumped to her feet, nodding enthusiastically. “Let's go, let's go!”

Bill Forbes laughed, scoping her up and tickling her ribs. Shouting an explanation of where they were going, the front door had already closed before Liz could respond, Bill bouncing down the stairs as Caroline giggled. As they rounded the building, Caroline felt a nervous roll in her stomach as she realized her mom was right; she _was_ younger than all the other kids who were playing.

“Daddy,” she began anxiously, beginning to shake her head.

He ran a soothing hand over her hair before calling to the oldest kid, the ringleader, “Is it okay if Caroline and I play with you guys?”

“ _You_ want to play?” the kid asked in disbelief.

“We both do, right, Caro?”

Cheeks burning with embarrassment, Caroline nodded.

“But you're old and she's little,” the kid pointed out.

“So it can't hurt to let us play. I mean, unless you're chicken.”

Caroline's eyes bulged in shock at hearing her father toss out the same challenge the boys at school used; and, like her classmates, the kid on the makeshift pitcher's mound, nodded in agreement, ordering them onto the team which was up to kick.

She only managed to kick the ball a few inches but Caroline squealed as her father suddenly picked her up, sprinting to first base as their team cheered them on. As Caroline's hair blew in the wind, her father laughing as they made it to the cracked piece of sidewalk which served as the base, she hugged him tightly around the neck.

Yes, Bill Forbes was the very best dad in the world.

* * *

They had only been in Mystic Falls two weeks when Caroline had to start first grade. Her mother had to be to work early, so her father drove her to school, offering to walk in with her. As she stared at the wave of first-graders entering the building with confidence, Caroline paused; she didn't want to look like a baby but she was scared.

Bill made the decision for her. Parking the car, he announced, “That's my friend Grayson over there. I'm going to say hello. I promise I won't hold your hand.”

Caroline nodded, slipping her brand-new hot pink backpack onto her shoulders as she climbed out of the backseat. Though she resisted the urge to slip her hand into her father's, Caroline stuck close to him, anxiously gnawing her bottom lip. When her father stopped beside a very tall man with brown hair, greeting him enthusiastically, Caroline could only focus on the pretty girl with curly hair standing beside the man.

“This can't be Caroline!” the man declared. “Last time I saw you, you were just a little thing. Whose class are you in?”

“Miss Carter's,” Caroline murmured.

“Me too!” the girl announced, grinning widely and revealing the gap where her front teeth should be. “Want me to show you where the room is?”

Caroline nodded, glancing up at her father, who grinned in return. “Bye, Daddy.”

“Have a good day, sweetie.”

As Caroline allowed Elena to take her hand and walk her up the front steps of Mystic Falls Elementary, she couldn't help but glance over her shoulder at her father, who looked a little teary eyed.

* * *

The Annual Founders' Father-Daughter Pancake Brunch was held every winter at Founders' Hall. For as long as they had lived in Mystic Falls, Caroline would wake up on that February morning, bounce out of bed, and put on the outfit she had so painstakingly chosen.

The February she was thirteen, Caroline did not have to wait for her alarm to go off; her parents' shouting woke her out of a dead sleep.

Caroline lied in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, listening as they exchanged words, their voices getting progressively louder. The fighting had only gotten worse over the past few years, and Caroline had the urge to pull her comforter over her head the way she used to do as a child. Instead she heard her father demand her mother keep her voice down followed by her mother hurling accusations of being unfaithful.

Caroline cringed back into her pillows, not wanting to hear what came next, afraid of how her father would respond.

The very last thing she expected to hear was, “If you want to talk about being unfaithful, let's start with you and Grayson!”

Something crashed then, the familiar shatter of glass echoing in the house, and then there was silence. Caroline counted to five hundred before she got out of bed, tears drying on her cheeks, as she removed her dress from its hanger. When she exited her bedroom to go to the bathroom, the house was completely still.

Her mother was gone by the time Caroline was ready to leave for the brunch, her patrol car nowhere in sight; her father sat at the kitchen table in his suit, idly skimming the paper. At the sound of her heels on the floor, he looked up, smiling brilliantly.

“You look gorgeous, Caro.”

They sat at a table with Tina Fell, her father, Elena and Dr. Gilbert; Caroline struggled not to glare at her best friend's father, making sure to keep her mouth as full of food as her stomach could possibly allow. Elena kept looking at her strangely as she shoveled forkfuls of blueberry pancakes and bacon in her mouth, and Caroline wished she could tell her what was going on; but Elena thought her parents were a walking fairytale, and she had no desire to kill that illusion.

Caroline watched as her father and Elena's father shook hands before leaving, and it filled Caroline with an overwhelming sense of rage. The moment they climbed into her father's car, she exploded.

“How can you be nice to him?!”

Bill froze, confusion on his face. “What? Caro, what - “

“I heard you this morning! I know Mom and Dr. Gilbert are sleeping together!”

Sighing heavily, Bill turned the car off again, leaving the keys in the ignition. “You weren't supposed to hear that.”

“Then you shouldn't have screamed it at 7:30 in the morning,” Caroline retorted.

With a mirthless chuckle, Bill acknowledged, “You're right. But what you heard...Sometimes, when people are very angry, they say things that aren't true, things just to hurt people. What you heard this morning, that's all that was. Your mom and Grayson aren't having an affair.”

“Then why did you say it?” she asked, tears rising in her throat.

“Because a very long time ago, your mom loved Grayson a lot, and even though I know all they are now is friends, sometimes when I'm feeling really mean, I think maybe it's more than that. That's all it was, Caro, I swear.”

Playing with the hem of her dress, she whispered, “Are you and Mom going to get divorced?”

“I don't know, baby,” Bill admitted, “but whether or not I'm with your mom, our relationship is never going to change.”

It always made Caroline feel strangely better that her father didn't lie to her and say he and Liz would be together forever.

Caroline liked how her father didn't keep secrets.

* * *

Caroline had never been in a fight in her life, but when she heard Alyssa Gallagher whisper to some freshman, “That's Caroline Forbes. You know, the one whose dad is a fag,” Caroline flew out of her desk so quickly, most people didn't even know what was happening until Alyssa was pinned to the ground with Caroline sitting on her chest.

When Mr. Tanner managed to pull her off of Alyssa, the other girl was bleeding from her nose, a clump of her hair was on the ground, and several scratches covered her face; it wasn't until Caroline was sitting in the nurse's office with an ice pack on her hand that she felt the sting of the scratches on her own face.

Her parents and Alyssa's parents were in with the principal, Alyssa with them to tell her side of the story, and Caroline waited. After several minutes, Alyssa and her parents came out of the office, leaving the school, and Caroline was told to go inside. As she down on the chair between her parents, Caroline saw how angry her mother was; she wondered if Alyssa was going to press charges.

“Now, Caroline,” Principal Andrews began, “Alyssa gave us her side of the story. She said you attacked her unprovoked. We all agree that doesn't sound like the Caroline we know, so...”

Caroline knew they were waiting for an explanation, but she did not want to talk, not to her mother and not to a man who once told Jack Mercer that, if he wanted people to stop picking on him, he shouldn't be so “flamboyant.”

“Caroline, do you understand the gravity of this situation?” Principal Andrews continued. “Now, you're already looking at suspension. I don't know if the Gallaghers are going to pursue charges, but if we had a reason for - “

“I punched her because she's a homophobic bitch and deserved it!” Caroline shouted, flinching as her father gently laid a hand upon her forearm.

Both Principal Andrews and her mother froze at her words, realization followed by discomfort filling their faces, and Caroline turned to Bill, who looked unbearably sad. Softly, she asked, “Can we go home now?”

Her mother stayed in the office as Caroline and Bill left the school. The scratches on her face were starting to become painful, her knuckles throbbing painfully, but Caroline forgot all about that when, as they reached her father's car, he pulled her into the tightest hug Caroline could ever remember receiving.

“It is never right to hit people,” Bill declared against the crown of her head.

“It's never right to call people what she called you either.”

“What you did was very stupid, you know that?” Pressing a kiss to her head, pulling back to look into her eyes, he ordered, “Don't ever do this again, you got me, Caro?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kissing her forehead again, he sighed, “You've got the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met, sweetie. Don't ever let anyone change that.”

She was suspended for three days.

Caroline never regretted it or apologized for doing it.

If there was anything her father had taught her, it was that you protected your family.

* * *

“He keeps telling me he's over her, but I just don't know,” Caroline confessed as she and Bill walked along the Willow Creek, each holding an ice cream cone.

“Do you want fatherly advice or just a sympathetic ear?”

“That depends on what fatherly advice you want to offer.” Smiling wanly, she admitted, “I don't want to hear something I don't want to hear.”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Bill declared, “You are beautiful, intelligent, talented, and you are going to do amazing things with your life. If Matt Donovan can't recognize those traits in you, he doesn't deserve to call himself your boyfriend.”

“You _have_ to say that. You're my dad.”

“No, I'm saying it because it's true,” Bill corrected. “If Matt isn't over Elena, then you shouldn't be wasting your time on him. I know Elena is your best friend and you two have had this weird competition going your entire lives, but love...That shouldn't be a competition.”

Resting her head on his shoulder, she pouted, “I know. We're going on a double date with Elena and Stefan tonight. I guess I'll get my answer then.”

Squeezing her tightly, Bill prophesized, “You are going to find someone who loves every, single thing about you some day, Caroline Forbes, and when you do, you'll never have to ask a single question.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Caroline believed him.

Her father never broke his promises.

* * *

She was alone in the dressing room before the pageant, a sinking sense of sadness and dread in her stomach, when her father knocked twice before entering. Caroline resisted the urge to burst into tears and ruin her make-up, but it was the hardest fight of her life.

“Daddy, what - “

Pulling a velvet box from his pocket, Bill proclaimed, “The future Miss Mystic Falls should have the very best jewels to go with her new title.”

Caroline gasped as she opened the box to find pearl earrings resting inside. “Oh my god, Dad, are these real?”

Bill laughed. “Very real and _very_ expensive. But only the best for my little girl.”

Running her thumb across the pearls, she murmured, “But I'm not even going to win.”

“Hey!” Catching her under the chin with two fingers, lifting her face so that Caroline could see his eyes, Bill stated, “You are the prettiest, best qualified girl out there. You embody everything this town stands for, everything the Forbes family stands for, and there is no way in hell any other girl out there can match you.”

As the tears began to roll down her cheeks, Bill added, “Now go out there and show those girls what Caroline Forbes is made of. And stop crying; you'll ruin your make-up.”

Chuckling, dabbing at her cheeks, Caroline quickly slid the pearls into her ears, smiling at her own reflection. “I _am_ pretty fabulous.”

Resting his hands on her shoulder, Bill grinned, “There's my Caro.”

When Mayor Lockwood announced she won, the first person Caroline's eyes sought out was her father, cheering and clapping so vigorously, you would have thought she won Miss Universe.

No one was ever as proud of her as her father was.

* * *

The first time she went to see her father after she was changed, it was after Katherine was sealed in the tomb, after Tyler activated the curse. Caroline got out of her car, standing at the curb, and she felt panic churning desperately in her body. Her mother hated everything she was now even if she didn't remember it, and Caroline knew her father was just as much a Founder as her mother was, meaning he, too, probably held a seat on the vampire hating council too.

 _But Dad isn't Mom_ , Caroline reminded herself as she tentatively began her trek to the front door. _Dad loves me no matter what. Even if he finds out, he isn't going to hate me because Dad **wouldn't** do that._

And then the door swung open suddenly and there was Stephen, grinning broadly, ordering her to get her ass into the house already, and Caroline exhaled in relief as the invitation was unintentionally extended.

Later, as Stephen and his daughter Fiona baked cookies, Caroline snuggled up alongside Bill on the couch, resting her head on his lap.

“You okay, Caro?”

“I just miss you,” she murmured, smiling as his fingers began to sift through her hair the way they had when she was a child.

“Your mom said you've been a little distant lately.”

She snorted. “Like she'd know. She's never home anyway.”

“You know...you're always welcome here. If you need some time away from your mom, away from Mystic Falls, Stephen and I would be more than happy to have you. More than happy,” he emphasized.

“I wish,” Caroline began before trailing off, unsure how to finish her sentence, unsure how she even wanted to finish her sentence.

Tracing her eyebrow with his thumb, Bill declared, “I know the feeling.”

Caroline was certain no one knew how claustrophobic Mystic Falls could be more than her father.

No one understood her better than he did.

* * *

When Bill called to invite her to come with him, Stephen, and Fiona for a weekend trip to the lake and told her to bring a friend, Caroline didn't hesitate to ask Tyler. They were spending so much time together, it was only natural to invite him along for some tubing, water-skiing, and Stephen's amazing barbecue.

But when she and Tyler pulled into the driveway of the cabin they were renting, Caroline saw her father's eyes narrow in Tyler's direction.

She was horsing around in the water with Tyler and Fiona, squealing as Tyler picked her up and threw her with ease, when she heard her father calling Tyler's name. All of them looked to see Bill and Stephen standing by the grill.

“You want to give me a hand with these steaks?”

Tyler shot her a questioning glance before agreeing, heaving his body out of the water. Caroline could not help but watch the play of muscle beneath his skin, feeling a flush of arousal flit through her body before Fiona splashed her in the face, demanding Caroline try to catch her.

As she half-heartedly swam towards Fiona, she took a deep breath and focused on the conversation happening on the porch.

“So you and Caroline are spending a lot of time together recently?”

“Yeah, we've gotten pretty close this summer.”

“She's a great girl.”

Caroline pressed her lips together tightly to force back a smile as Tyler agreed, “She's one of a kind.”

“But she's also a sensitive girl,” her father continued, “and she gives her heart away quickly. I've heard stories about you, Tyler. I'd hate to find out my daughter is just the latest in a long line of hearts you've broken.”

She wanted to protest, offended _for_ Tyler and irritated with her father, when Tyler said, his voice far more serious than Caroline was used to hearing, “I would never do anything to hurt Caroline. I'd kill anyone who did.”

This time Caroline couldn't help but grin.

Later, when Tyler was in the shower, Caroline snuck up behind Bill, sliding her arms around his stomach from behind. Resting her head against his back, she said, “You know Tyler and I are only friends, right?”

“For now. The way that boy looks at you, you're not going to be just friends for much longer.” Twisting to look at her over his shoulder, he added, “For what it's worth, I like him more than Matt.”

“Me too,” Caroline admitted.

Turning around, Bill tugged her into a hug. “Well, I don't care which boy it is, no one is ever going to love you as much as I do.”

“I know, Daddy,” she assured him patronizingly.

“And, if he hurts you, they will never find his body.”

Bill Forbes was the most overprotective father on the face of the planet.

But Caroline adored him for it.

* * *

“Mrs. Lockwood!” she shouted as the door to her underground prison opened.

And, seriously, how many underground prisons _are_ there in Mystic Falls?

“Hello, Caroline.”

Relief blooming in her chest, Caroline recognized the voice immediately. “Daddy?” As he came closer, Caroline rattled her chains. “Please help me, Daddy. This is all a huge mistake. Mrs. Lockwood - “

The vervain dropped onto her skin, making her shriek. As she tried to writhe away from the pain, Bill sadly shook his head. “No, sweetie, I don't think this is a mistake at all.”

Tears coursing down her face, she pleaded, “Daddy, please. I'm not bad, I swear. I don't kill people. _I'm not bad_! Daddy, please...”

Squatting down in front of her, Bill patted her knee. “It's okay, Caro. I'm going to fix you.”

As he pulled back, Caroline realized this was _not_ her father.

This was Bill Forbes.

Bill Forbes hunted vampires.

Bill Forbes was going to kill her.

Caroline closed her eyes and, for the first time in her life, wished someone else was her father.


End file.
